Aquarion

aquarion Shoji Kawamori / Satelightr

Original title: Sousei no Akuerion Characters: Apollo, Silvia de Alisia, Sirius de Alisia, "Reika" Hong Lihua, Pierre Vieira, Chloe and Kurt Klick, Tsugumi Rosenmeier, Jun Lee, Rena Rune, Glen Anderson, Gen Fudo, Sophia Belin, Jean Jerome George, Baron, Chibiko and Magi, Celiane de Alisia, Angels of Darkness Production: Satelight Regia: Shoji Kawamori

Country: Japan Year: 2005 Gender: Anime / Science fiction / Robot Episodes: 26 Duration: 24 minutes Recommended age: Teenagers aged 13 to 19

Apollo Shoji Kawamori / Satelightr

From Monday 2 April on MTV at 19,05 pm a new anime series, which follows the old trend of Japanese robots; is titled Aquarion (original title: Sousei No Aquarion) is composed of 26 episodes, and was directed by Shoji Kawamori (already famous for Macross and the Skies of Escaflowne) and Hideki Tonokatsu (see Lupine III Alcatraz Connection).

The story of Aquarion has as its setting the land of the future, which we find partially destroyed by a gigantic catastrophe that occurred 11 years earlier, which caused the death of most of its inhabitants. As if that were not enough, the melting of the glaciers has brought to the surface, the ancient lost city of Atlantis and with it its inhabitants: the Fallen Angels. These winged creatures, awakened after a 12.000 year sleep, want to take back the earth and feed on the bioenergy of human beings, which they call "prana". Faced with this powerful threat, men founded DEAVA, a space agency that manages to recover the ancient Vector Machines Mars, Lunar and Sol from the ocean floor, sophisticated modular spaceships, which in the past had freed the earth from the Angels of Darkness. These machines can be piloted by people with special powers called "Elements" and the union of the Vector Machines will give rise to Aquarion, the powerful Mechanical Angel, the only one able to defend the earth from the invasion of the "Fallen Angels". The children will be selected on the basis of strict simulation tests and affinity tests between them. Unfortunately, to complete the union of the Vector Machines, the last pilot "the Wing of the Sun" is missing, the one who according to an ancient prophecy is the reincarnation of Apollonius, the legendary hero of Atlantis.

"Reika" Hong Lihua Shoji Kawamori / Satelightr

In semi-destroyed cities, the inhabitants survive thanks to small tricks, stealing or collecting among the garbage and here we find Apollo, a red-haired boy, who walks like monkeys and has a dog-like sense of smell. Together with his friends he manages to find a supply of groceries, but unfortunately they are stopped by some Robot police officers and manage to escape with a meager booty. Apollo is followed by Silvia and Pierre, two Vector Machine pilots, in search of the possible pilot of the Wing of the Sun, intrigued by that wild boy, but with extraordinary abilities, in fact he is endowed with extraordinary strength and agility. Just when the young people meet, the "Fallen Angels" arrive and hypnotize the population with their song. The only ones who are immune to this sound are Apollo and the Vector Machine pilots Silvia and Pierre who will be joined by Sirius, who came to their aid with the machines to counter the Angels. From the union of the three Vector Machines formed by Pierre, Silvia and Sirius, Aquarion Mars will be formed, which despite its power will be defeated by the Fallen Angels. This proves that Sirius is not the one who can make the most of the Vector Machine capabilities, despite his sister Silvia claiming he is the doomed.

Sirius and Silvia de Alisia Shoji Kawamori / Satelightr

The Vector Sol is abandoned as Pierre and Silvia faint due to a violent clash with the Angels, but at this point Apollo, in the extreme attempt to save the life of his friend Bart, recalls the Vector Sol, which takes life and makes the boy take the commands. The Vector Sol joins the Vector Luna and Vector Mars, forming the very strong combination of the Aquarion Sol, which releases a super energy that can annihilate the Fallen Angels. After that experience, DEAVA takes an interest in Apollo and follows him in order to teach them how to actually fly a Vector Machine. Apollo drove the car in a trance state, moved by the strength of desperation, but in reality he does not know the instrumentation of the vehicle on board, much less would he be able to drive a Vector Machine under normal conditions. He is given Silvia as a driving teacher, with whom he will have to fly through a flight simulator. The two boys, however, have violent verbal and physical clashes, as Silvia cannot bear that a "savage" can take the place of her brother at the helm of the Vector Mars, despite everything while driving the young reveal a particular passionate affinity, which it will lead to mutual physical attraction. This will lead Aquarion to another victory over the angels called Reaping Beasts, as strong emotions amplify his power.

Aquarion transformation Silvia de Alisia Shoji Kawamori / Satelightr

The plot of the cartoon is not the maximum of originality and is very reminiscent of that of Neon Genesis Evangelion (fight with the Angels), Daltanious (gangs of hungry kids), Steel Jeeg Robot (awakening of a civilization of the past), Voltron (union of the various robots) and other robotic series, despite everything, a good quality of script emerges. The cartoon is a happy combination of traditional animation, for the creation of backgrounds and characters, and of CGI computer graphics for the construction and animation of mechanical robots. In addition, the beautiful dynamic scenes are supported by a solemn soundtrack created by Yoko Kanno, the same as Cowboy Bebop.

Rena Rune Shoji Kawamori / Satelightr

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All characters and images of Aquarion are copyright Bandai Co./Hakuhodo DY Media Partners / Media Factory / Project Aquarion / Tohokushinsha Film Corporation, 2005 and of the right holders. they are used here for cognitive and informative purposes.